Wilytank (Originally posted by me to Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives; http://www.metal-archives.com/)

Blut aus Nord's dark '777' trilogy continues with 'The Desanctification', and I definitely am not as impressed with it as I was with 'Sect(s)'. Though the freaky, nightmarish atmosphere is brought over from the other album, the schizophrenic quality is not and this album is a good bit weaker because of it. It's still a good album, but it's close to the ass end of the BaN quality spectrum which, though not meaning good news for 'The Desanctification' in its own right, is still a statement that even Blut aus Nord's worst album are still really solid.

When I say schizophrenic, I'm referring to 'Sect(s)' fast tempo chaotic songs that really drive in the feeling of a nose dive into utter insanity. There is none of that here on 'The Desanctification'. All the songs are rather slow in fact. "Epitome VIII" is the fastest one here and it still doesn't tread anywhere near "Epitome I", "III", or "V" on the pacing department. But slowness by itself isn't a damning quality especially when I do like the slower 'MoRT' album more than the faster 'Mystical Beast of Rebellion'. One interesting observation for 'The Desanctification' is how the drums in all of the songs are Blut aus Nord's most forward on their musical quest to become a trip-hop band, something they seem to have been working on as far back as 'The Work Which Transforms God'. There's zero details on this W.D. Feld guy (including if he really exists at all) who allegedly handles the drums in the band, but whoever worked the drums must have used a drum machine because these drums sound incredibly inorganic. They've also got this trip-hop beat going on in most of the songs that sounds rather awkward at times, particularly the opening few minutes of "Epitome VII".

What's good about this album then? A good amount of things actually. The majestic sound of the guitars are still in here and there are some pretty epic sounding leads, particularly in "Epitome VIII". The keyboards sound really nice as well. And these two instruments together add a thick, dark atmosphere with an interesting pinch of light to the songs. Once again, the vocals are nothing but another layer of sound in the music with no lyrics provided; but the various assortment of murmurs, growling, screeching, and clean choir passages have worked well with Blut aus Nord in the past and work well now. "Epitome IX" is rather worthless though as an uninteresting interlude. "Epitome XII" isn't that cool either with the lack of vocals actually stripping it of its musical and atmospheric substance.

Either way, 'The Desanctification' is a pretty solid album, but it didn't meet the expectations I had for it following my enjoyment for 'Sect(s)'. Hopefully, Vindsval and co. (or his imaginary friends, nobody knows) can pull together a little tighter for 'Cosmosophy' and end this '777' trilogy on a higher note than this album.

(82/100)

UMUR "777 - The Desanctification" is the 10th full-length studio album by French black metal act Blut aus Nord. The album was released through Debemur Morti Productions in November 2011. The band have been quite busy lately as they also released "777 - Sect(s)" in April 2011. "777 - The Desanctification" is the second album in a triology of albums that started with "777 - Sect(s) (2011)" and ended with "777 - Cosmosophy (2012)".

The music on the album is atmospheric and in some cases industrial tinged extreme metal with more than a nod towards post metal. The tracks are repetitive and atmosperic, slow- to mid paced and for the most part dark and ominous. The black metal tag that is usually applied to the band´s music actually isn´t that useful when describing this album. It´s mostly the sparse unintelligible raspy vocals that point in that direction and even those are of a more death metal tinged juicy quality. Usual black metal traits like blast beats and fierce tremolo picking are not a part of the sound on "777 - The Desanctification".

The sound production is professional and suits the music really well.

"777 - The Desanctification" is not an album with jaw dropping virtuosic moments or hookladen guitar riffs. It´s all about dark ambient atmosphere and the band are very successful at creating an interesting listening experience here. a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

Conor Fynes '777 - The Desanctification' - Blut Aus Nord (8/10)

Back in April of this year, I was wowed by the first in a prospective trilogy of releases by the French dark metal act Blut Aus Nord. '777 - Sect(s)' sought the beginning of a three-album project, each bound together as part of one nightmarish journey. To hear that the band was planning on releasing the entire set of albums within the course of a year was exciting, to say the least. Blut Aus Nord has been prone to releasing their unique blend of avant-garde black metal quite quickly, but what has made them exceptional is that they do this at no sacrifice to the quality and depth of the music. Over the course of many listens, I felt my appreciation for '777 - Sect(s)' expand, and I feel the same is true for the second album in this saga.

'777 - The Desanctification' quite literally picks up where 'Sect(s)' left off. As the songs in the first were labelled 'Epitome' I-VI, this follows suit with 'Epitome' VII-XIII. Stylistically and conceptually, 'Desanctification' gives every impression that it is a continuation of the previous album, not a sequel so much as a direct follow-up to what was released months before. Stylistically, this is very close to what 'Sect(s)' offered as well. The music is a constant balancing act between dissonant, jarring black metal, and lighter, deeply atmospheric passages. Blut Aus Nord has claimed that this album takes the listener 'deeper into the nightmare realm', and to a certain extent, this is true. Although the music isn't all too different, there is a somewhat looser approach to the performance and composition this time around, lending itself more to disturbing atmosphere than the head-scratching black metal that dominated parts of the first album. It seems atmosphere is winning the balancing act, if only a bit. Truth be told, Blut Aus Nord's sound still runs around the map.

While I wouldn't call Blut Aus Nord the most coherent songwriters in the world, they have a real knack for creating incredible moments in their music, and even better transitions to tie them together. Not every idea in 'The Desanctification' works perfectly- sometimes, a part may drag on a few measures too long, or the band will let a section become too chaotic- but they know how to take this palette of ideas and arrange them in such a way that makes everything sound meaningful to an extent. A perfect example of this is the second track 'Epitome VIII', in which the first three minutes meander through an incredibly harsh and dissonant soundscape. It is certainly a challenge for the ears, but would have passed me as being aimless if it weren't for the majestic melodic climax a little after the three minute mark; everything peaks up in unison and intensifies the surreal vibe I get throughout the album.

Performance-wise, there are few bands that use texture and tone so well in the metal world. Guitarist Vindsval has an amazing grasp of some gorgeously dreary guitar tones, and the electronic/industrial aspect of the band never feels weak or gimmicky; it is all mixed together into one darkly ethereal blend. As one might ascertain from a description of the band, the production style is equally as chaotic, throwing multiple layers of ambiance at the listener under the main action. One aspect of the sound that does not always work however are the vocals. They are- for the most part- fairly generic by black metal standards, but the way they echo incessantly makes them more of an ambient garble, neither complimenting nor necessarily hurting the music.

Blut Aus Nord have always been a band that plays on their own terms, and the '777' trilogy has made me more excited about them than ever before. Regarding whether 'The Desanctification' is better than 'Sect(s)' or not: I'm not quite sure. Perhaps 'Sect(s) had a better feeling of organization to it, but 'The Desanctification' has left more of an impression on me. This is atmosphere made deadly. Even sparing the context of the trilogy, 'The Desanctification' is a devastating album, and one of the more disturbing records I've heard in a long time.

Time Signature Blood from the North...

Genre: post-metal

The second installment in the 777-saga, "777 - The Desanctification" continues the musical journey initiated on "777 - Sect(s)" and takes the listener further into the dark soundscape of Blut Aus Nord's universe.

The seven tracks on this release seamlessly transist into one another without the listener hardly noticing, the reason being that the brand of post-black metal found on this album is really atmospheric and easy to lose oneself in. Combining guitar figures doom and gloom with electronic beats (some more blatantly electronic than others, though), the focus of Blut Aus Nord on this release is on generating a dark ambiance, and, well, mission accomplished. The use of creepy vocal effects and the perfect balance between repetition and variation further strengthen the atmospheric and dark feel of the album.

Fans of post-metal and atmospheric rock should definitely check out this work of darkness.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)